Global Positioning Systems: How important are they when catfishing? Will a GPS help me catch more catfish?

Catfishermen have always found their honey holes prior to the GPS technology. using the ole trial and error plus many days spent on the water is how it was done.
When the GPS was available and affordable to the general public, it defiantly made catfishing less time consuming and more productive.

For me, it is an essential tool that helps me in many ways. As soon as I launch my boat I will turn my depth finder on, which also has GPS capabilities.

I utilize this unit for various situations throughout the day. The GPS and mapping chip installed allows me view, mark and navigate and utilize several aspects of the unit for safe and successful trip.

What would I use a GPS for when fishing for catfish?

1. Mapping – most lakes or impoundments are very well defined in the contour of the bottom, allowing you to locate key spots that could hold catfish, such as under water points, ditches and depression along with old creek channels and more. Rivers however are not as defined in the contour of the bottom but more defined on the navigational channels. This will help pin point where you can safely run and help in locating key spots along the channel that will hold catfish. If you are fishing new water and are not sure of where to run, having real time mapping capability can help. The ability to zoom in on detail and look for contours, shallow water hazards and structure is a huge benefit. Also mapping allows me to mark certain waypoints along the contour or channels when im searching for catfish.

2. Marking locations – I use the GPS to mark certain locations when I’m searching for catfish. I do mark single locations like a brush piles or structure of some sort with a waypoint however I will also mark several locations in an area that intend to drift.

And as i begin to drift fish, I will so to say, connect the dots, drifting from one way point to the next. staying on the channel edge or drop. For an example: on the river I will find the main channel and most of the time it will be well defined with a significant drop of 4 foot or more.

I will then begin to zigzag back and forth over the channel as I work my way up or down river, marking a waypoint about every 100 foot as it drops off in the channel. Soon will have up to 10-15 waypoint marks along the defined channel edge and ill start back at the beginning and drift my waypoints, following my marks and connecting the dots until I’ve reached the end.

3. Navigation – I fish a lot of new water throughout the United States fishing the various catfishing tournament trails and rely on my GPS for navigation. Knowing where to run safely makes me more efficient and gives me a piece of mind that I won’t run up on underwater island or shallow flats and other underwater hazards. The navigational mapping can also be helpful at night or in foggy conditions on new water or filimlar water.

4. Database – My GPS saves all my data that I have input into it, so it also serves as a fishing log. You can name your waypoints on your depth finder as you make them to jog your memory about certain spots when you’re in the area. Download your saved waypoints to your computer and analyze or edit them from your PC. This can help find patterns and make game plans for future trips.

Is GPS something that I need to have to be successful?

No, like I said, anglers have been catching fish for ever without the use of a GPS with just a little basic knowledge of where to look. However the GPS can save some time and take the guess work out of the equation. And when you combine some good basic knowledge with the GPS, this will make you more successful.

Find your pattern

Patterns are an important key in consistently catching catfish, the bass guys have honed their skills at finding patterns but it’s rarely talked about in catfishing.
A pattern can be most anything, you just need to pay attention to surroundings and the type of structure or banks you are fishing and try to duplicate the same types of conditions you have already been successful with. Whether it be mud banks, deep holes, shallow sand bars, rock banks, wood structure, smaller or larger baits, etc.

Paying close attention to your surroundings is the best way to put together a solid pattern for catfish. Understanding how you were able to catch the first fish will play a key role in finding patterns for catfish. If your fishing a drop and catch a catfish, was that fish on the top side or bottom side of the drop. But there are many other variables you should consider when you’re locating a pattern. Weather, time of year, time of day, water temperature, stained water, clear water, current speed and many others.

At times catfishing patterns can be hard to nail down, as patterns can change throughout the day due to weather conditions or barometric pressure changes. So if you’re catfishing and you’re not having any luck, you may want to make some adjustments. Try a different type of area or try different bait. Maybe it’s the size of the bait or a front has moved through and the fish you were catching has now moved tight to wood structure. Bottom line here is, duplicate your bait presentation by finding similar places that have the same characteristics as the first spot you were successful.

For an example:

This is one of those times where I had a good pattern on Friday but weather and river conditions changed and I had to find a back up pattern to make up for lost time I spend on a failing pattern I had the day before.

During the 2011 Cabelas King Kat tournament on the Ohio River I developed a good pattern the day before the tournament, drifting baits in 50 ft of water over a hard bottom. On tournament day the river conditions had changed and the river was on a rise and current had picked up pushing my fish to the banks. After realizing this about mid day, I changed patterns. I located a point that had a current break with a current seam and tried it and found success.

After I caught a couple 20 lbers from that spot I ran a little farther down river and found a similar point that had all the same components as the first spot that I had caught fish in, this allowed me to finished out my limit for the day. That pattern took me from three small fish that I had caught using my failing pattern to culling them for 5 respectable fish that put in 8th place in the top 10.

Don’t be afraid of trying new things to establish a new pattern if the pattern you thought was paying off goes sour. Establish a pattern and you’ll put more catfish in the boat.